Japan steps up anti-Covid measures amid record rise in cases

Japan has extended anti-Covid measures from Thursday to another 18 prefectures, which have seen a record increase in new infections in recent days.

The day before, the number of people infected with coronavirus per day across the country for the first time since the beginning of the epidemic exceeded 70,000 and amounted to 71,633. 

A total of 34 people died during the day. The largest rise in infections has been seen in the Japanese capital Tokyo, where 14,086 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday, and Osaka Prefecture, where 9,813 cases were detected.